America's Best Fly Fishing
“If fishing is like religion, then fly fishing is high church,” said award-winning news anchor and Greatest Generation author Tom Brokaw. The underlying sentiment is one widely shared throughout the sporting community—of the many different ways to catch a fish none is more emotional, cerebral and invested than with a fly rod. While most closely identified with angling for trout in streams, it’s a skill that is defined not by its quarry or venue, but by its precise style of casting.
Most fishing involves some version of casting—the delivery of a baited hook to where fish swim. In deep-sea fishing, this can be as simple as putting a weight on the line and dropping it, letting gravity take it down. With spinning reels, you cast a weighted hook that can carry the line a considerable distance. But in fly fishing there is almost no weight at the end, and it is the heft of the line itself—also negligible—that is used to make a whip-like cast. Hence, dropping an artificial fly at great distance to a precise spot where fish congregate is one of the most challenging feats in the sport. Then you have to reel in one of those big ones without breaking your delicate line.
“For a long time everyone thought fly fishing was just trout, but then salt water became popular and it was striped bass, then salmon, then bonefish,” says Scott McEnaney, director of adventures for Orvis, the company most associated with the sport. “Now, people go everywhere, from urban streams and local ponds to trips around the world, and there’s less pretension about species.”
Based in Manchester, Vermont, Orvis was founded in 1856 to sell fishing tackle. Today, it operates three full-time shooting and fishing schools, in Alabama, upstate New York and Pennsylvania, plus year-round fly-fishing schools at the Vermont headquarters. In addition, the company rigorously certifies guides and lodges as Orvis Endorsed is to fly fishing what the Michelin Guide is to fine dining, with nearly 300 choices worldwide.
Another important designation in the world of fly-fishing travel is “Blue Ribbon,” an honor given by wildlife authorities to streams and rivers with extremely high-quality trout fisheries, based on population, reproduction, water flow, cleanliness and access. In Wyoming, for example, requirements include more than 600 pounds of trout per mile, which represents the top 3 to 5 percent of waters in the state. In many destinations only catch and release fishing is allowed, as this is not a sustenance pursuit.
“A lot of the principles of a solid fly cast are the same regardless of where you are going, and one of the great things about the sport is that there’s always more to learn, no matter how far you are on your journey,” says McEnaney. “That can be a school, a private lesson or a day out with a trusted guide. A lot of instruction can come from a day on the water with a good guide.” Just as the world’s best golfers use a caddie, many avid anglers seek out an experienced local guide whenever traveling away from home. “Our schools can adapt to whatever level of skill you have, from never ever to expert, and a lot of people do a one- or two-day school as a tune-up before a big trip.”
Every hobby has its Holy Grails, and there is still a pecking order of sorts, with the elusive bonefish generally considered the most challenging prey to hook. Bringing in the fish once hooked is a different story, and larger, stronger saltwater fish like tarpon are a serious test of skills on fly fishing gear, since it is much lighter, more prone to lines breaking and uses reels that have no drag or mechanical advantage—the norm on traditional fishing reels. Even more difficult is fly fishing for deep-sea, big game fish, such as marlin and tuna, a very niche part of the sport. “That kind of equipment is not something the typical fly fisherman is going to have in their closet,” says McEnaney of the heaviest fly rods used for big game.
For some anglers, the classic brown and rainbow trout on fabled rivers of Montana and the Rockies remains the sport’s highest calling, while others are on the move, flying in small planes to hidden Alaskan waters to hunt giants or seeking particular kinds of less common fish in the places legendary for them. For some, it’s about luxury, creature comforts and stellar guides, and for others, it’s simply about shutting out the rest of the world for a few hours in nature. It pairs well with other outdoor pursuits, especially golf, but also horseback riding, hiking and even skiing. For cigar lovers, it’s one sport that welcomes a lit smoke just about everywhere. Fortunately, the United States offers a tremendous variety of options and opportunities for every one of these fishermen. Here are some of the best.
The West
The United States is full of first-class fly fishing, but if there is one standout, it is Montana. It was the only domestic spot ranked in the world’s top five destinations by Fly Fishing magazine. The waters around Bozeman, West Yellowstone and Missoula are full of excellent spots. And the Yellowstone is the longest undammed river in the continental United States, offering more than 200 miles of some of the best wild trout fishing on the planet. Other famed Montana waterways include the Missouri, Boulder and Big Hole Rivers, with brown, rainbow, cutthroat and brook trout. The Blue Ribbon-rated Gallatin River originates in Yellowstone National Park, and was the setting for what is perhaps the most famous fly-fishing movie ever, A River Runs Through It.
Big Sky Resort, the nation’s second largest ski resort and home to luxury hotels including the Montage, sits right by the Gallatin and has three standout outfitters, Gallatin River Guides, Wild Trout Outfitters and East Slope Outdoors, offering a one-stop dream fishing vacation with tons of dining, spa and activity options. When it comes to a luxury Montana angling vacation, few spots can beat the highly rated, 6,600-acre Ranch at Rock Creek, a guest ranch with four miles of private Blue Ribbon trout fishing waters, fly-tying classes, expert instruction and guided wade and float trips. It even has an annual fall “Whiskey & Water Weekend,” devoted to casting while sipping brown spirits.
Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico offer Montana some stiff competition. As McEnaney says, “These are the bucket list places, for the big sky, wild fish and beautiful scenery.” World-class casting abounds on Wyoming’s famed Snake River near Yellowstone and Jackson Hole, a town full of guides and luxury hotels. New Mexico’s San Juan River offers one of the densest concentrations of trophy-sized rainbow and brown trout anyplace, an estimated 15,000 fish per mile, with year-round fishing. Here, Fisheads San Juan River Lodge is an Orvis-endorsed guiding service and lodge, specializing in float trips.
Wyoming is home to the luxury, 30,000-acre Brush Creek Ranch and its laudedMagee Homestead boutique resort. It’s arguably the fanciest Orvis-endorsed lodge in the nation, and perfect for all skill levels with six stocked ponds and lakes, plus 20 miles of private fishing on the exceptional North Platte River, offering guided wade and float trips, as well as intro to casting classes. It even has a distillery.
Colorado has several exceptional luxury destinations, especially the famed Brooor Fly Fishing Camp and Dunton River Camp. The former is an Orvis-endorsed lodge on a private, five-mile stretch of the Tarryall River and a small satellite 75 miles west of the iconic Brooor in Colorado Springs, the nation’s longest running five-star resort. The latter is a nearby sibling of the luxury Dunton Hot Springs resort, which was just awarded two Michelin Keys in the newest global luxury hotel rating. Dunton River Camp sits outside Telluride, in the state’s southwestern corner, and is focused on angling, with African safari-style tent accommodations along an isolated stretch of the Dolores River.
The Lone Star State is not renowned as a fly-fishing destination, but in Texas Hill Country, the Guadalupe River is the southernmost trout fishery in the country. Dam controlled and stocked with rainbow trout, it offers easy access and warmer weather.
Northeast
This corner of the country has some unique angling niches. One is the wild steelhead trout migration from the Great Lakes, accessible in Pennsylvania’s northwest and far upstate New York. “A lot of fish leave the Great Lakes and head up rivers to spawn, especially steelhead and salmon,” says McEnaney. In the Keystone State, the East Coast’s longest river, the Susquehanna, excels at smallmouth bass.
The biggest destination draw is New England and the saltwater fishing off of Massachusetts’ Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, with flats fishing reminiscent of the Caribbean’s bonefish, except with striped bass, albacore tuna and bluefish.
Vermont is home base for Orvis. It offers regularly scheduled one- and two-day schools year-round, plus exceptional fishing on the Battenkill River. Brew Moscarello, a former Orvis instructor and Orvis-endorsed Guide of the Year finalist set up his Trico Unlimited guide service just 10 minutes from the retail flagship in Manchester, with its own three-bedroom riverfront cottage. He has been fishing for trout on the Battenkill for 40 years.
Less than two hours north of the Big Apple, Roscoe, in New York’s Catskill Mountains, has earned its nickname, “Trout Town U.S.A.,” with the convergence of five waterways, including the Beaver Kill. This is where fishing journalist Theodore Gordon introduced American dry fly fishing in the 1890s, using floating flies that stay on the surface. The nearby West Branch Angler Resort on the Delaware has been a preeminent fly shop and guide service for more than 30 years.
“There are small mountain streams full of brook trout all the way up and down the East Coast, from Maine to Georgia,” notes McEnaney.
Southeast
Florida is famed for its saltwater offerings. Deep diving, fast and extremely powerful, tarpon pose a unique challenge. The capitals of tarpon fishing are Boca Grande, on a barrier island between Sarasota and Ft. Myers, and the Florida Keys farther south. The Keys excel in bonefish, which are hard to find outside the Bahamas and Caribbean. A Holy Grail of angling, they are so tricky to hook and have to be cast to by sight. This is known as flats fishing. Anglers wade or float in very shallow clear water and see the fish they seek. Flats fishing also targets larger snook and cobia, which can exceed a hundred pounds. Offshore prey can include yellowtail snapper and mahi-mahi. A top fishing spot is the Hawks Cay Resort on Duck Key, with a full-service marina and trained guides.
The rest of the Southeast is rich in prolific rivers. The White River in Arkansas, legendary home of the largest brown trout in the United States, rivals bucket list pilgrimages in South America. Virginia’s New River teems with smallmouth bass, while North Carolina is home to more than 4,000 miles of trout streams. The Nantahala River in the Smoky Mountains yielded the state record brown trout. Blowing Rock, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, is home to the Orvis-endorsed Chetola Lodge, with a slate of wade, float trips and casting clinics.
Midwest
There is good fishing throughout the Midwest, but the centerpiece is Michigan. It was here that the sport’s best-known conservation group, Trout Unlimited, was conceived in 1959 to protect the substantial trout population of the Au Sable River. Today, Michigan offers a great mix of river and stream-based trout fishing and bigger game in the Great Lakes. Lake Michigan has carp, huge smallmouth bass, brown and steelhead trout and spawning salmon. It’s one of the best places in the nation to fly fish from boats. In the Northern Michigan region around Petoskey, Harbor Springs and Boyne City, you can have the best of both worlds in one trip, boats on the Great Lakes and standout river angling.
This area is known as “Hemingway Country” as it is where the writer spent his summers growing up. Boyne Outfitters, based at the Boyne Mountain ski and golf resort, is the region’s top retailer and guide, with private river frontage and an assortment of wade and float trips and beginners classes. The full-service resort also has 36 holes of golf and multiple lodging options. Boyne also owns the Inn at Bay Harbor resort nearby, with a luxury hotel, marina right on Lake Michigan and one of the highest-ranked golf courses in the Midwest.
Northwest
With its mountains and extensive outdoor recreation, it’s no surprise that this region is rich in productive rivers. Oregon’s North Umpqua, Deschutes and Rogue are popular for float trips using small boats. “In places like Vermont, with small streams, the fishing is all walking and wading,” says McEnaney. “But in a lot of places the main way to fish the river is by floating, it lets the guide get you out on a lot more water than walking.”
Sunriver is a 3,300-acre golf and sporting resort with 63 holes. Sitting right on the Deschutes, it also has a few ponds and is home to Cascade Guides & Outfitters, with more than a quarter century of local experience, offering schools and half- and full-day guided excursions.
In neighboring Washington, the Snoqualmie River, just 30 miles from Seattle, offers abundant cutthroat brook and rainbow trout. In the fall, you can fish for spawning salmon, including the most prized of all, the king (aka Chinook).
In Idaho, the Middle Fork of the Salmon River is widely considered one of the world’s best whitewater rafting destinations. When it winds 100 miles through the pristine Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, its isolation and many crystal-clear pools make it heaven for fishing. This Blue Ribbon river is one of the classic multiday float trips in America, with plenty of rainbow, bull and native Westslope cutthroat trout, plus spawning king salmon. Beyond the water there are frequent appearances by bighorn sheep, mountain lions, wolves, elk and bald eagles. These weeklong adventures combine rafting and fishing. One of the best outfitters is established whitewater specialist ROW Adventures.
Alaska
Like Scotland or Ireland for golf, many avid anglers yearn for Alaska. The Last Frontier is “absolutely a bucket list fly-fishing trip,” says McEnaney. “It’s huge with a lot of variability, salmon, large rainbow trout, grayling, plus it’s incredibly wild. So, you really want to go with people who are in tune with the region and what it takes to keep guests safe in such a wild setting.” That’s a nice way of saying remote Alaska is not for DIY anglers, but best left to the pros. Fortunately, there are tons of these options and the state is flush with top-rated fishing lodges.
It’s a huge place, but the heart and soul is around Bristol Bay, where a large peninsula juts off Alaska’s southwestern coast. The region is famous for massive rainbow trout, plus arctic grayling and salmon, especially sockeye (aka red salmon). Fly fishing drives the tourism economy here and the area is chock full of all-inclusive destination lodges, most open June through October. Top full-service options include Crystal Creek Lodge, Bristol Bay Fishing Lodge, Lodge at 58° North, Bear Trail Lodge and Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge, the 2022 Orvis Lodge of the Year.
Just inland from Bristol Bay is the Lake Illiamna watershed, fed by the Copper River, synonymous with some of the world’s best culinary salmon. The Copper was one of the first rivers in the state protected for fly fishing only. The Rainbow River Lodge was where angling junkie and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter went on his Alaskan fishing vacation. “I have fished in a lot of places in the world, from Canada to New Zealand,” Carter once said, “but I’ve never seen anything to equal the rainbow trout of the Copper River.”
One other notable Alaskan fishing destination is the fly-in only Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, one of the world’s most revered heli-skiing destinations. Helicopters ferry guests to mountain rivers and streams so remote it is almost impossible to see anyone else, while stalking abundant salmon (king, sockeye, coho, pink, chum) as well as rainbow trout, arctic grayling and northern pike.
